


all i want to do (is dream of you)

by misura



Category: Fate/Zero
Genre: M/M, Pining, Servant Swap
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-25
Updated: 2020-12-25
Packaged: 2021-03-11 01:27:07
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,338
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28296753
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/misura/pseuds/misura
Summary: "Master. Is everything all right?" Diarmuid's eyes are all warm and friendly and kind, and Waver is absolutely, positively sure he hasn't hypnotized Diarmuid even a little bit. That has to meansomething, doesn't it?
Relationships: Diarmuid Ua Duibhne | Lancer/Waver Velvet
Comments: 4
Kudos: 18
Collections: Yuletide 2020





	all i want to do (is dream of you)

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Heart_of_Targness](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Heart_of_Targness/gifts).



Waver's not saying he's some sort of _idiot_ , to get a crush on someone who isn't even real - or at least not real the way Waver is real, anyway.

Diarmuid's definitely a person, more or less, but he's also a Servant, who has to do what Waver tells him to do and who's one day real soon now simply going to _disappear_ , so.

So it would be incredibly _stupid_ for Waver to get all emotionally attached or anything.

He's not here to make friends or to lie on his bed, day dreaming about the way Diarmuid smiles at him, the way Diarmuid wields his spears, the way Diarmuid's first and foremost concern always seems to be Waver's safety, Waver's happiness - no one's ever knelt in front of Waver and told him he owned their loyalty, that they would serve him faithfully and obey him in all things and, well, it's not _that_ strange Waver's feeling maybe a little bit overwhelmed, is it?

"Master. Is everything all right?" Diarmuid's eyes are all warm and friendly and kind, and Waver is absolutely, positively sure he hasn't hypnotized Diarmuid even a little bit. That has to mean _something_ , doesn't it?

Plus, you'd have to be a real jerk not to feel at least a little bit of friendliness for someone who looks at you like that. Waver's willing to admit he's not some sort of saint, but he's not actually a bad person or anything, he doesn't think.

All he wants is some acknowledgment of his abilities, some _respect_.

"I - yes. I'm fine!" Blushing and snapping at the same time: Waver's not sure which he feels worse about. (It _should_ be the blushing, he thinks, only it's not.) "Sorry," he says, "I'm just under a lot of pressure right now."

Diarmuid nods. "I understand."

Waver bites back his first response ("You're a Servant! You can't possibly understand!"). He should be working on his strategy, a plan for the battles ahead. He should be evaluating the other Masters and Servants. He should be doing a lot of things.

"Master," Diarmuid says. "If it is Rider's Master's words that worry you, please be unconcerned. Upon my honor, I promise you I will bring you Rider's head."

 _How is_ that _supposed to help?_ Waver almost wants to ask if Diarmuid can't bring him Rider's Master's head instead, but that's a no-go. Supposedly. In theory.

Waver figures that if Rider's Master can threaten him with slow, horrible, painful death, Waver should at least be allowed to strike back, but apparently not. Apparently, he's just supposed to cower behind his Servant and hope Diarmuid's as good as he thinks he is, and then once Diarmuid's gone - well.

Diarmuid puts his hand on Waver's shoulder. "Do you doubt the word of Diarmuid Ua Duibhe?"

Waver shrugs off Diarmuid's touch, mostly because he realizes he very badly wants a hug, which is ridiculous and childish and nothing Waver's going to admit out loud. "It's not all about you!"

Diarmuid's expression goes a little less friendly - not _un_ friendly, more like neutral. Like he's thinking of Waver less like someone he genuinely cares about and more like someone he should obey in all things. "My apologies, Master."

"Don't - " Waver says, before he can stop himself. It's all just so _awkward_ and he hates it.

Diarmuid goes back to looking like Waver's fantasy boyfriend. (It's now official: this Grail War thing is going to make a _total mess_ of the rest of his life.)

"Uh. So you and Saber seemed to hit it off pretty well." Waver wonders if he sounds jealous. He's not, of course, that would be silly. Besides, Diarmuid didn't look like he was holding back or anything while they were fighting, and Waver's 100% on board with taking out Berserker or Rider or whoever Diarmuid wants to team up with Saber against.

As long as Diarmuid doesn't expect him to make nice with Rider's Master, it's all good with Waver.

"She is a most valorous and formidable opponent," Diarmuid says, definitely sounding ... something.

"I guess we should leave her for last, then," Waver says, trying to sound casual, relaxed. "Maybe we'll get lucky and someone else will take her out."

Diarmuid bends his head a little too deeply. "If that is your desire, Master."

"Uh," Waver says. He feels very strongly he should not be susceptible to this brand of emotional blackmail. It's not as if Diarmuid is even _saying_ anything. "Or we could ... not do that? I'm not a strategist or anything. Just, you know, thinking out loud. Considering our options." That sounds good, right? Reasonable. Sensible. Logical.

"It would be my honor to bring you her head," Diarmuid says, which should definitely settle the whole jealousy issue. Which Waver isn't, so there isn't any issue.

"Guess I should figure out where to keep all of them, huh?" Waver means for it to come out sounding tough and mature, like he's the kind of person who's 100% used to people bringing him other people's heads. (He bets 'Lord El-Melloi' has got, like, a closet or trophy case or something.)

If Diarmuid thinks he sounds like a kid with no idea what to do with human remains, it doesn't show on his face. "I can merely bring you news of her defeat instead, if that is your preference."

"Uh, yeah, I guess? I mean, I don't really want my grandparents to get all freaked out because there's a chopped off head in the fridge, you know?" Waver says. Doing their hypnosis a second time was bad enough already - and that was before the Grail War had begun. He can't afford to waste mana on silly stuff like that anymore. "And anyway, I trust you. I don't need proof."

There. That sounded pretty great, if Waver says so himself, not at all like he's squeamish.

Diarmuid's expression suggests he agrees and also that he'd happily kiss Waver's feet if Waver'd let him, or maybe not his _feet_ (because, to be honest, kind of demeaning, maybe? and sure, Diarmuid's his Servant, but he's not Waver's _slave_ or anything). Maybe Waver could say something like, _look, I've spent most of my life studying magic and not having much of a social life, and I'd like to find out what it's like to have a friend who also maybe kisses me sometimes, if that's a thing you'd be interested in doing, maybe?_ , and maybe Diarmuid would say, _yes_.

But. Maybe he wouldn't, and Waver realizes he doesn't really want to risk that. He needs Diarmuid to win the Grail for him; everything else is secondary.

 _Once I've won the Grail, I'll show them all,_ Waver thinks, and he used to see a long row of people who've laughed at him or sneered at him or threatened him with slow, horrible, painful death, but right now, he only sees Diarmuid, gone forever, never to return now that he's fulfilled his purpose.

"I consider myself most fortunate to have someone so kind and generous as my Master," Diarmuid says.

 _I consider myself_ super unlucky and possibly cursed _to get you as my Servant,_ Waver tries to think. It doesn't help that he knows he (somewhat) has himself to blame, for stealing Diarmuid's relic and using it for a summoning without the least idea about Diarmuid's identity.

He realizes he's blushing again, meaning he should snap something to compensate, only he has no idea _what_ , because Diarmuid's, well, Diarmuid and quite possibly the most amazing Servant ever, or at least somewhere in the top ten, probably.

"Uh, thanks," he says. "I'm very happy you're my Servant too," because to be honest, the idea of Diarmuid being someone else's Servant is just a big fat nope.

Waver guesses that settles it: they're in this together, and they're going to win, and one day, maybe, if some sort of miracle happens, they might actually go on something like a date, or have dinner together, or have a conversation that doesn't involve chopped off body parts.


End file.
